Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-12-09
ALLAN QUARTERNAIu.
A BROWNING CITY

of its sweet waters. i flad mad nothing
but a single mouthful of wine since mid
day. when the battle began. and / was
parched up, though my fatigue was too
great to allow me to feel hungry. Then,
having laved my fevered head and hands,
| returned and the Zulu went and drank
Next we allowed the horses to take cou-
pie Of mouthulS eacl-no more; and on
what a struggle we had to get the poor
beasts away from the waterl There were
yet two minutes, and | employed II IN
hobbling up and down to try and relieve
nv Stiffness and inspecting the condition
of the horses. Ny mare, gallant animal
though she was, was evidently much dis
tressed; she hung her head, and her eye
looked sick and dull: but Daylight, Nylep-
tha'5 glorious hOrSe-Who, II he IS served
Alright, should, IKE the steeds who saved
the great Ramcses in his need, feed for the
rest of his days ont of a golden mauger-
was still, comparatively speaking, perfect
" fresh, Notwithstanding that he had by
far the heavier weight to carry. He was
tucked up." indeed, and his legs were
weery, but his eye was bright and clear,
and he held his shapely head up and gazed
ont into the darkness around him in way
that seemed to say that whoever failed ne
was good for those five and forty miles
that yet lay between us and MilOsi5. Then
Umslopogaas helped me into the saddle
and-yigorOus old savage that he was!-
vaulted into his own without touching
stirrup, and we were off once more, slowly
Mt first, till the horses got into their stride,
and then more swiftly. So we passed over
another ten miles. and then came a long,
weary rise of some six or seven miles, and
three times did my poor black mare near
" come TO the ground with me. But on
the too she seemed 10 gather herself to-
gethgT, and ratified down the slODs with
long. cOnvulsiye strides, breathing in
rasp5 We did that three or four miles
more swiftly than any since we had started
on our wild ride, but felt ii to be n last
effort and [ was right. Suddenly my poor
horse took the bit between her ts5th and
boltcd furiously along stretch Of level
ground for some three or four hundred
ynr!s, ana then, with two or three jerEy
strides, pulled herself up and fell with Il
crash right onto her head. | rolling myself
free aS She did so. AS | struggled onto
NV feet. the brave beast raised her head
and looked at me with pitcOu5 blOOdshot
ewes. and then her head dropped with IA
gr0an and She was dead. Her heart was
broken.
Umslopogaas pulled up beside the car
cass and looked Mt him in dismay. There
were still more than twenty miles To do by
dawn and how were we 10 do il with one
hprsr2 II seemed hopeless, but had for
gotten the old Hulu's extraordinary run
ming powers
Without single word he sprang from
the saddle and began to hoist me into it.
What wilt thou dor" ] asked.
'Run," he answered, Selling my stirrup
leather.
Then off we went again, almost rs fast
rs before; ana OH the relief IL was to me
10 get TINT change Of horses! Anybody
who has ever ridden against time will
know what it meant.
Daylight sped along ut long stretching
hand gaIlOp, giving the gauHt Zulu lit
ut every stride, IT. was II wonderful thing
10 see old UmSlUppIaaS run mile after mile,
his lips slightly parted and his Hostrll5
agapc like the horses Every five miles
,,yft, f,tp., Ia lAt
him get his breath, and then flew ON again.
"CdnSt thou 20 farther" / said, at the
third OF these stuppage5, 'or shall | leave
thee to follow me?"
lie pointed with his AK to a dim mass be-
fore us 1t was the Temple of the Sun, not
more than five mil away.
~ reach it or die, he gasned
Oh, that last five miles, The skin was
rubbed from the inside of my legs. and
every movement Of my horse gave me an
puish. Nor was that all. ! was exhausted
with toll want of food and sleep, and also
suffering very much from the blow | had
received on my left side; it seemed as
though piece of bone or something was
slowly piercing into my lung. Poor Day
light, too was pretty nearly finished, and
no wonder. But there was II smell of dawn
IN the air, and we might not stay; better
that all three of us should die upon the
road than that we should lingcr while
there was life In ia. The air was thick
anu ltINN, Us IL som tunes II before inc
dawn breaks, and-anOthrr infnllible sign
IN certain parts Of NcndiS that sunrise
y Mt hand-hundred9 Of little spiders pend
amt ON tho end of long tough webs were
ilpaing about in it, These early rising
creatures or rather their webs, eau shtup-
ON the horses aud our own forms by
scores, aud, as we had neither the time nor
the energy to brush them Oft, we rushed
along covered with hundreds Of long grey
threats that streamcd ont n yard or more
behind u9-nnd very strange appearance
they must have given us
And now before us nre the hugo hrazen
gates of the outer wall of the Frowning
City, and n new and horrible doubt strikes
me: What If they will not let us in2
"OpcW OpcHn' | shout impCriuuSly, Mt
the same time giving the royal password.
"0pcHl OpcHi u messenger, II messenger
with tidinps Of the war;
''Whnt ucws2" cried the guard. "And
who art thou that ridcst SO madiv, and
who Is that whose tongue Tolls Out'-and
il actually did land who runs by thee
like a dog 10y a ChariOt"
1T is the Lord MarumaZlhn. and with
him Is hjs dog. his black dog, OptM opCm
bring tdlnE.l'
Tho great gates ran bacl on their roll
er9 and tho drawbridgo fell with II rat
tliug crash, and we dashed ON through the
one ANA over the other
"WhAt news, my lord what news?" cried
the guard.
Is,
cloud,' answered, aud was gone.
ono moro effort gallant horse, and yet
more gallant mIu,
So, fall not NOW, Daylight and hold thy
life in thee for fifteen short minutes moro,
old Zulu waydog, and We shall both live
forever in the annals Of the land
On, Gathering through the sleeping
streets. We are passing the Flower Tenn
III uoW-ouc mile more, only one little
mlle-hold on, keep your life in We. see the
t,,Ff H,t,I
horse, up, thcre-but fifty yards now. Ali
Nou see your stables aud staEger on gal-
lautly,
Thank COL. the palace at last" and
see, the first arrows of the dawn are strik-
ing on the temples golden dome. But
shall get in here, or is the deed done and
the way hlrrcdH
Once more give the password and shout
"DptU' opCur
No answer and my heart grows very
faint
Again | call, ana tl,ts time Il single voice
replies, and to my joy recognize IL rs be-
longing to Kara, Il fellow-otlicer of Nylep-
tha'S guards, a man | know to he rs hon
est as the light-ip9eed, the sQme whom
%yieptha Nnu sent To Arrest Sorals on the
day she fled to the temple
"lS it thou, kara2h | cry; 81 am Macum-
azlhu bid the guard let down the bridge
anEl throw wide tho gate Quick Quickr'
Thou followed space that seemed to
-
aud ono half of the gate opened aud we
got into the courtyard, where ut last poor
Daylight fell down beneath me. rs |
Thought, dead. / struggled free and lean
ing against u post. looked around, EN-
cept Kara there was nobody to be seen,
and his look was Wild. and his garments
We're all torn He had opened the gate
and lot down the bridge alone, and was
now getting them up aud shut again tas,
ewing To n very ingenious arrau cement of
cranks and levers, owe man could easily
do. and ialNcd generally did dn).
M zero are the guards | ClSpcd, fear
ing his answer ~ never feared anything
h1torr.
Il know not, he answered; 1.-TWO hours
also, as slept was srj2 VI AMI bound hy
the match under me, nud bul now this
very moment have | freed Inyscit with
my teeth. fear. | greatly fear, that we
are hrtTaNel'
HIS words gave me fresh energy. Catch
ing him 10y the arm, | stag sSrrsl, foil hwrd
10y tmSlOpO y;laS. who rcci2d attrr IL ike
"A drunken man, thrnu N the cuurtyarIS,
up the great hall. Which was silent aS the
grave, towards tae QleGn's s,crpjn place.
We reached tho first aatc.rpom-uo
guards; the second. still no guards. On,
surely the thing was done, W. were too
late after all-t0n late The silence and
solitude Ot those great ChamH1rs was
dreadful, and weighed me- down like an
evil dream, On, right into Nyirptha'S
chamber we rushed and sta rGarCd. SICK at
heart fearing the very worst; We saw there
was light in it. ny, aad a ii CURE bearing
tho lfrlt oh thank l,Nl' II i FhA \EaIta